The Press Monday, January 28, 1924. The Local Political Situation.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17982, 28 January 1924, Page 8

The Press Monday, January 28, 1924. The Local Political Situation.

It n-as stated some time ago that the Liberal Party would engage, early in tho

New Year, in a vigorous political campaign, and now that Mr Wilford has returned the opponents of the Government will be wondering when the opera-

tions are to commence. Still more, we should say, will they, and everybody else, be wondering what reasons tho Liberals can give the public, for desiring a change of Government. They will have no difficulty whatever in rinding material for criticism of a sort, but something more than u crop of minor grievances is necessary to an Opposition seeking to possess the Treasury benches. We ourselves have had to criticise the Government on Various points. For example, we are as much opposed as anybody to the Railway Department's attitude on tire question of Midland railway rates, but no rational person would suggest that the remedy is to turn the Government out of office. Nor is any more serious grievance against the Government to be found than this. That the Liberals Bhould be content to occupy themselves

■with making a fuss over minor matters of administration emphasises, even more than silent opposition could do, how completely they have lost touch with the realities of politics. They have a sort of leader and a diminishing number of supporters, but there is not a woul in the country who can tell us what the Liberals have in the way of a policy. They have no policy.

Borne of the Liberals liave been rejoicing over the downfall of the Conservative Government in Britain, but if they had not lost the habit of reflection they would perceive that the lessons of the British election are not at all pleasant for a New Zealand Liberal. M:c Baldwin was defoatod, not because he is a Conservative, but because unemployment has caused discontent, and because ho proposed a definite policy to which the British people are firmly opposed. Has Mr Massoy proposed, or has ho in contemplation, any policy which is not supported by a majority of the people of this country? Of course he has not. When they have thought a little upon that fact, the Liberals may next consider the fact that the two Opposition parties in Britain both had policies. The Liberals stood for Freetrade, or, rather, opposition to Protection. This policy, although very definite, and touching an issue of the first importance, was in a sense negative, and it is ' noteworthy that tho Opposition section which had a very positive policy indoed did rather better than the Liberals. Had the Liberals in Britain been as destitute of definite ideas and principles as the Liberals in this country, they would have won hardly any seat 3 at all. It is open to an Opposition to say, if it chooses, that it will not prescribo until ifc is called in, and an Opposition whose character and intentions are f airJy clear can say this without loss. But as nobody knows what Mr Wilford and his friends stand for, their only hope of injuring tho Government lies in their being able to frame an effective indictment, specific and substantial and important, against tho Government's policy and administration. Now, we can say without fear of contradiction that for such an indictment the material is completely lacking, and the Liberals themselves must know it. By maintaining their reasonless hostility to the ■Government — never in polities was anything more .reasonless —they can certainly give assistance to the Labour Party. But that' is all they can do. The question, then, for the diminishing supporters of Mr Wilford's curious group is whether they ' are to count on Labour's side or against it. For as in Britain, so here the political line of cleavage is clearly the line dividing the moderate men of progressive outlook from the revolutionary Socialists. Some moderate men may strive to give political development some other direction and to maintain a thrt}o : party system. Their efforts will be in vain, for Labour itself will force the line of cleavage into greater depth and distinctness. It is useless, for the Liberal Party to go on hoping that something may turn up. They have done so for between eleven and twelve years. Many things have turned np—circumstances very unfavourable to a Government, in the shape of a boom and a serious slump, and of the great difficulties presented by several post-war problems; and the Liberal Party commaiided, at the last test, a smaller part

of the public's confidence than ever before. These are facts which we are sure have been in the minds of the people, and it will be interesting to seo how they will be dealt with by the Liberal politicians when, or if, they carry out their intention to stump the country.